Lancelot's Lady (9 page)

She giggled at the thought.

"
What
'
s so funny?
"
Jonathan asked softly.

"
I, um, was just thinking about someone back in Florida. He
'
d have a fit if he knew I was stranded here.
"

Another warning flashed in Jonathan
'
s eyes.

Oh for crying out loud,
she thought.
What
'
s he ticked off about this time?

"
You were given a holiday,
"
he said in a tight voice.
"
If I were you I
'
d take advantage of it.
"
He finished his wine in one quick gulp and stood up.
"
I don
'
t expect you to teach Misty, then hide in your room for the rest of the day. There are lots of things you can do to entertain yourself, and if you get really bored, just remind yourself it
'
s only for six weeks. Maybe less if I get the parts for the radio before then.
"

"
I thought you said the parts you needed were in the boxes Roland brought you.
"

He gave her a dry smile.
"
You mean the boxes that were left behind?
"

She winced.
"
Oh…crap.
"

Jonathan raised a brow.
"
Crap? That
'
s it?
"

"
I
'
m sorry, but it wasn
'
t my fault.
"

"
Then whose fault was it?
"

From the stormy expression in Jonathan
'
s eyes, Rhianna knew a tempest was brewing. One that was out of her control.

"
Your presence has uprooted my quiet life here,
"
he said.
"
Not only was I not expecting company, you managed to leave behind the one box we needed the most. Without a radio, we
'
re at the mercy of fate.
"

She chewed her lip.
"
Let
'
s just make the best of it.
"

"
The best of it.
"
His mouth turned down.
"
I guess that
'
s what I should expect from a spoiled city girl.
"

"
Hey!
"
She jumped to her feet, swaying slightly from the wine.
"
I am
not
a city girl. I was raised in a small town in Maine, I
'
ll have you know.
"
She let out an unladylike snort.
"
And I
'
m far from spoiled. You have no idea how hard I
'
ve had to work.
"

"
I
'
m sure you do work…hard.
"

She glared at him, unable to wrap her tongue around a simple retort that would put him in his place. That ticked her off even more.

"
Maybe your employer was planning on joining you on your holiday,
"
he added.
"
I bet he
'
s married too. Rich and married.
"

Rhianna was in complete shock. The fact that Jonathan saw her as nothing more than some rich guy
'
s play toy was beyond comprehension.

A surge of ancient guilt brought bile to the back of her throat. Peter Waverley
'
s face flashed before her. He
'
d thought she was a play toy too, an innocent child who would never argue…or fight back.

Don
'
t think about that!

Looking into Jonathan
'
s eyes, a knifelike pang pierced her heart.
"
You don
'
t know me, Mr. Tyler,
"
she said coldly.
"
And you have no right to judge me.
"

"
If you
'
re teaching my daughter, I damned well do.
"

"
I volunteered,
"
she snapped.
"
You seem to have forgotten that.
"

She watched the muscles contract in Jonathan
'
s neck as he clenched his teeth. Without a word, he strode to the bar and poured another glass of wine before speaking.

"
Maybe I need to reconsider your offer.
"

"
What?
"
Rhianna was enraged.
"
Of all the―
"

"
I
'
d watch it if I were you.
"

The warning in Jonathan
'
s voice scared her.

Without a second thought, Rhianna spun on one heel and darted to the front door. Shoving her feet into her sandals, she stepped out into the humid night and slammed the door behind her. She pushed through the foliage and prayed she was going in the right direction―toward the beach and the dock. She
'
d sleep there if she had to. She certainly wasn
'
t spending another night in that house with such an insufferable man.

"
How da
re he insinuate I slept with my employer to get a vacation!
"
she fumed.
"
What the hell kind of―
"

Her words were cut short by a sudden drop in the ground. Her shoes skidded over the grass as she went hurtling through the bushes, the cacophony of snapping br
anches and crackling underbrush following behind her.

Finally, a tree blocked her path. She smacked into it and sucked in a startled breath. Relieved that her plunge down the hill had ended, she straightened her dress and took in the sight that the foliage had hidden.

She let out a soft gasp.

Chapter 9

Before her, the ground dipped then rose steeply, giving way to a massive slab of limestone carved out in the center by Mother Nature
'
s gracious hand. Between sheer rock walls, the wandering trench of a narrow waterfall meandered downward about four yards and ended in an oblong pool of dark, mysterious water.

Rhianna had never seen any place so breathtaking.

She smiled.
"
Now this is what I call heaven.
"

Closing her eyes, she inhaled slowly, deeply. The warm night air carried the sweet scent of allamanda and frangipani. The drumming of the falls slowed her pulse, and for a single moment she was lost in the heartbeat of the island.

Until a raspy, croaking sound interrupted the stillness.

Her eyes flared open. She searched for a sign that she wasn
'
t alone, but she could see nothing, and the only sound she heard was that of the waterfall.

Overhead, a soft breeze disturbed the jungle-like canopy. The leaves parted, revealing a polished pearl of a moon, then hiding it again.

It was a beautiful night
―a perfect evening for romance under the stars.

But there was no chance of romance on
this
holiday.

Of that, she was sure.

Thinking of Jonathan, she wondered what had set him off. One minute he seemed quite friendly; the next he was snapping at her. It sho
uldn
'
t bother her, but it did.

She sighed.

This could be the longest six weeks of my life.

"
But once you leave Lancelot
'
s Landing,
"
she murmured,
"
you never have to speak to that arrogant Jonathan Tyler again.
"

It was an unsettling notion.

She stood in the shadows of the tree line, which consisted mainly of coconut and casuarina trees. The latter had scattered thin, needle-like leaves on the ground.

Rhianna suddenly felt a deep yearning for JT to live long enough to see a sight as beautiful as the one she was experiencing.

"
JT told me to relax,
"
she said, kicking off her shoes.

With a self-conscious look over her shoulder, she peeled off her sundress and hung it over a tree branch. Wearing only panties and bra, she made her way over the casuarina leaves and around a patch of mud.

She stepped into the water. There was no gradual deepening, like wading into the ocean. Instead, cool water came up to her knee and she nearly lost her balance before she placed her other foot in the pool. The floor sloped toward the center and she waded out until the water reached her stomach.

Giggling, she bounced on her toes.
One, two, three!

Rhianna plunged beneath the surface and swam underwater until she reached the bubbles caused by the waterfall. When she surfaced, she licked her lips. The water had a faint chalky taste. She swam to the far edge of the pool and stretched out, her body resting on the sandy floor while her head rested against a smooth rock.

"
Ah,
"
she said.
"
This is just what the doctor ordered.
"

She didn
'
t want t
o leave. Ever. She realized something. Her discovery tonight might just save her sanity. If she could escape here every night―

Crrrack!

Before she could move, a bulky shadow appeared above her.

So Rhianna did what any woman would do.

She screamed.

A warm h
and curled around Rhianna
'
s mouth, cutting off her scream. Then a voice growled in her ear.
"
Be quiet, you silly fool! It
'
s just me.
"

"
You!
"
she stammered when the hand released her.

Jonathan stood slowly.
"
Last thing I expected was for you to be skinny-dipping on my island.
"

Realizing her state of undress, she self-consciously moved into the depths of the pool where she watched Jonathan restlessly prowl the edge. He didn
'
t look at all happy.

"
I
'
m not skinny-dipping.
"

"
Really?
"

The single word sounded threa
tening.

"
You nearly gave me a heart attack,
"
she said in an angry voice.
"
I thought you were a bear―
"

"
A bear?
"
He chuckled.
"
On an island in the Bahamas?
"

"
How the hell do I know what kinds of wild animals live here?
"
Wild like you, she almost said.
"
What
are you doing following me anyway?
"

"
I wanted to make sure you didn
'
t get lost. But I had no idea you
'
d be here.
"
He sounded bitter.
"
How did you know about this place?
"

"
I didn
'
t. I just…stumbled across it tonight.
"

It was literally the truth.

"
Aren
'
t you afraid of snakes?
"
he asked.
"
Or bugs?
"

Panicking, she eyed the surface of the water.
"
Are there snakes in here?
"

"
No.
"

"
Then why would you say that?
"
she demanded.

He shrugged.
"
You
'
re a city girl.
"

Rhianna clenched teeth.
"
Stop saying that!
"

He moved toward the trees.

"
What are you doing?
"
she called out, nervous.

When he returned, he had her sundress in his hands.

"
Put that down!
"
she fumed.

"
It was on the ground,
"
he said dryly.

For a long, awkward moment neither of them said a word. Jonathan stood motionless, staring at her, waiting. She watched him too, unable to take her eyes away or draw in an even breath.

He held out a hand.
"
Come out of the water.
"

"
No.
"

"
Rhianna…
"

She shivered at the sound of her name on his lips.

"
Go back to the house,
"
she said tightly.

"
I
'
m not leaving here without you.
"

Jonathan flung her dress over the nearest tree branch, then began unbuttoning his shirt.

"
W-what are you doing?
"
she squeaked.

"
What does it look I
'
m doing?
"
He slid his shirt off and added it to the branch. Then he eyed her.
"
If you won
'
t come out, I
'
ll come in and get you.
"

Moonlight gleamed off Jonathan
'
s tanned, smooth skin and the muscles that rippled as he moved. When his hands hovered near the zipper of his jeans, she gasped.

"
What
'
s it gonna be?
"
he asked softly.

Rhianna swallowed hard. If she went to him, he
'
d see her near nakedness. A wet bra and panties left nothing to the imagination, even in the moonlight.

But if he comes in after me…

She didn
'
t want to think about what could happen. In fact, she
'
d give anything to wake up and find that it was all a rotten nightmare.

"
Hold my dress out and turn around,
"
she demanded.

He laughed and the sound carried into the night.

In a low voice he said,
"
You come out. Or I come in.
"

Rhianna
'
s cheeks burned with hum
iliation.

"
Since you leave me no choice, you insufferable―
"
She bit off the list of names she yearned to call him. The man was, after all, someone she had to deal with every day.

At least until the radio is fixed or Roland comes back.

Crossing her arms, sh
e waded toward the edge of the pool, the water line dipping lower with each step, until it was at her belly button.

Jonathan watched her every move. His gaze was so intense that it rattled her.

"
C-can you please look away?
"
Embarrassed, she choked on the words and tears well in her eyes.

~ * ~

Something in Rhianna
'
s voice told Jonathan he
'
d gone far enough. He
'
d intended to embarrass her a bit, not bring the woman to tears. One part of him felt guilty for goading her, the other felt tremendous pleasure in watching the city girl squirm.

"
Please,
"
she whispered. She looked as though she might faint.

Heaving an irritated sigh, he grabbed the dress from the branch, held it out and averted his face.
"
There. Satisfied?
"

The soft splash of water was the only reply.

He felt a cool, damp hand brush his as she took the dress. He glanced sideways, unable to resist a peek.

His breath stopped.

Damn. It
'
s been far too long.

The natural curves of Rhianna
'
s body and the movements she made as she struggled to pull the dress over her head, drew a physical response from him, one he hadn
'
t felt in months. He wanted her. Of that, there was no question. The dress clung to her, absorbing the wetness of her skin, and she fought to smooth the fabric

"
Let me help you,
"
he offered.

"
No!
"
She caught his gaze and spun around.
"
Stop watching me!
"

"
But you need some―
"

"
Don
'
t touch me!
"
she shrieked.
"
You know, you didn
'
t have to follow me out here. Or sneak up on me. And I certainly don
'
t need you…to…
"
She let out a strangled huff.

"
I made enough noise on that path for three people,
"
he snapped, stan
ding with his back to her.
"
And if you hadn
'
t stormed outside, I wouldn
'
t have felt obligated to go after you.
"

Hell, he wasn
'
t going to defend his intentions to some woman. It was his damned island, after all. He could go wherever the hell he pleased.

He made the mistake of glancing over his shoulders at the same time Rhianna leaned forward to shimmy the dress over her hips.

Jonathan swallowed the lump in his throat.
"
Just make sure you don
'
t
―
"

He didn
'
t have time to complete his warning.

A shriek echoed through the night.

~ * ~

One minute Rhianna was standing an arm
'
s length away from Jonathan; the next she was sitting on the ground, covered in mud. She wiped her mouth on her arm, wanting not
hing else but to have a good cry. She deserved one after tonight.